Traditional systems of finishing store lambs from roots are unpredictable and inflexible. Lamb genotype, sex and initial weight significantly affect potential performance and target weights for slaughter at currently fashionable levels of fat cover. Lamb performance can easily be affected by climate. Frequently, producers fail to match crop resources to lamb grazing due to the unpredictable finishing rates. Planning of sales especially to meet marketing contracts is also difficult. Problems are most significant with hill breed lambs and smaller crossbred lambs both which need considerable gains to achieve slaughter condition and weight. With heavy ‘forward’ stores overfat lambs can be a problem.

Careful management, appropriate supplementation and regular handling all help to reduce problems but in many situations where labour and handling facilities are limited these inputs also increase costs and difficulties.